Americans are increasingly spending their hard earned dollars on digital content, with most Internet users in the U.S. spending about $10 per month on purchases of music, software applications and games. The actual average monthly purchase for digital content was $47, but the report notes that some heavy online users pushed the average higher. That's one of the findings from a telephone survey of 755 adults conducted by the Pew Internet & American Life Project.

The study also found that 65 percent of Internet users have paid to download some type of digital content. The report comes as online retailers such as Amazon.com and movie distribution services such as Netflix attempt to grab a bigger share of the digital content pie. (Amazon just this week declared that its third-generation Kindle device was the best selling product of all time on the site).

Here's a look at what people are buying.

--33% of internet users have paid for digital music online.

--33% have paid for software.

--21% have paid for apps for their cell phones or tablet computers.

--19% have paid for digital games.

--18% have paid for digital newspaper, magazine, or journal articles or reports.

--16% have paid for videos, movies, or TV shows.

--15% have paid for ringtones.

--12% have paid for digital photos.

--11% have paid for members-only premium content from a website that has other free material on it.

--10% have paid for e-books.

--7% have paid for podcasts.

--5% have paid for tools or materials to use in video or computer games.

--5% have paid for “cheats or codes” to help them in video games.

--5% have paid to access particular websites such as online dating sites or services.

--2% have paid for adult content.

The report had this to say about sales of digital content:

Some observers have questioned whether internet users are willing to pay for online content and many media sectors are struggling with the disruption that digital networks have created for their businesses. The issue of people’s willingness to pay for online material has enormous implications for media companies, artistic creators, and others who are hoping to sustain themselves – or grow new businesses – by raising revenues through online purchases.

Here's a look at the demographic breakdown of who is paying for content: